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Hiroshima, a band that helped define Asian American identity, will take a hiatus

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Record labels didn’t know what to do with Hiroshima.

The band, led by Japanese American Boyle Heights native Dan Kuramoto, defied simple categorization. It featured Japanese instruments like taiko drums and koto yet played jazz and rhythm and blues, laced with pop and funk.

Hiroshima had found its footing in the 1970s at places like the Baby Lion Supper Club at the edge of Koreatown — a major part of the nascent Japanese American dance scene . It also drew enthusiastic cheers from a mostly Black crowd at Howard University.

Larkin Arnold, a Black record executive at Arista Records, took a chance by signing the band to its first recording contract in 1979. That propelled a decades-long run that includes nearly 20 albums and millions of records sold.

As part of its “Domo,” or “Thank You,” tour — a “wind down” or hiatus, but perhaps not a final goodbye — Hiroshima is playing Saturday night at the Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo. Fans are reflecting on the band’s legacy as a pioneer that helped establish what it means to be Asian American and build connections with other people of color.

“How do we amplify the connection of our community?” said Kuramoto, 76, who usually plays saxophone and flute, including the Japanese shakuhachi . “We’re just trying to do that with music.”

When Kuramoto was growing up in Boyle Heights, graduating from Roosevelt High in 1963, the concept of pan-Asian identity did not exist. People thought of themselves as solely Chinese American, Japanese American, Filipino American or Korean American.

By the late 1960s, the movement to create an Asian American identity, on the theory that unity would create more political power, was exploding. Kuramoto became the first chair of Cal State Long Beach’s Asian American studies program while still in his early 20s. On the side, he performed music.

At a large Asian American community picnic in Griffith Park in the early 1970s, Kuramoto spotted June Okida playing the koto, a zither-like instrument that typically has 13 strings.

She took a liking to his “crazy art school band,” which was playing anything from rock to “experimental, naughty stuff,” Kuramoto said.

Kuramoto quit his job at Cal State Long Beach soon after, and the two, who married and later divorced, became the cornerstones of the band they eventually called Hiroshima — rising “from the ashes” as the Japanese city did after it was hit with a U.S. atomic bomb during World War II.

“There’s got to be some way for us to be visible as who we are,” Kuramoto said. “I wanted to try to reach out and create that voice, that image of who we are.”

At the Baby Lion Supper Club, the band initially attracted a small crowd but developed a loyal following, with hundreds packing the space. They grooved to the music in bell-bottomed trousers, wide-lapeled shirts and platform shoes, said Harry Manaka, author of “Chronicles of a Sansei Rocker” and a former owner of the bar.

“We were looking for our own identity,” Manaka said. “[Hiroshima] caught on with a niche of people that would like to hear their music. It was a different kind of music. It was like a combination of jazz and fusion, and it was a different Asian American sound.”

Record labels tried to force Hiroshima into a box. One executive wanted them to wear Asian conical hats. Another wanted them to sound like funk singer Rick James.

But the band members refused to budge. They wanted all their components, from June’s koto to Dan’s saxophone, to stand out yet be a part of the whole.

“Any Black band can play funk better than us,” Dan Kuramoto told The Times in 1988.

Much of Hiroshima’s music was instrumental. But in songs like “Thousand Cranes,” about the Japanese tradition of folding paper cranes for a wish to be fulfilled , the lyrics conveyed how the band saw itself.

In “Roomful of Mirrors,” the band sang:

In a roomful of mirrors we can pretend who we can be A dancer in a top hat or a captain of the sea We could make funny faces but we’re not just what you see There’s a lot inside us we hope to grow and be ‘Cause I just wanna be, to look and sound like me I just wanna be myself for everyone to see.

That refusal to blend in made Hiroshima appealing to many Asian Americans, especially in an era when activists successfully fought for Asian American studies programs at universities and pushed for reparations for Japanese Americans who were incarcerated by the U.S. government during World War II.

Growing up Japanese American in Monterey Park in the 1970s, Mitchell Maki thought of koto and taiko as ancient instruments played at cultural festivals like Nisei Week.

But “hearing Hiroshima play, that’s where you hear koto in a whole different way,” said Maki, chief executive of the Go for Broke National Education Center.

The band and its music became a source of pride and a reminder of what Asian American music can sound like, Maki said.

“‘Cruisin’ J-Town,’ when you hear that song, it just evokes the memories and the feelings,” he said.

Hiroshima’s distinct sound had crossover appeal, especially with the Black community. Black radio stations were often the only ones playing the band’s music, Kuramoto said.

Maki recalled getting lunch in St. Louis about a year ago with Black clergy and business leaders, who said the members of Hiroshima were among the first Asian American musicians they had ever seen or heard about.

As the band grew in popularity, with hits such as “One Wish” and albums at the top of the Billboard jazz chart, Hiroshima toured the nation while staying close to its roots.

There have been frequent shifts in the band’s membership. But Johnny Mori helmed the taiko until the early 2000s, and Dan and June Kuramoto, as well as Danny Yamamoto on drums, taiko and synthesizer, have been a constant for more than 40 years.

Japanese American journalist Ellen Endo recalled Hiroshima performing at a fundraiser for Wendy Yoshimura, a roommate of Patty Hearst and member of the Symbionese Liberation Army who was arrested in the 1970s for allegedly running a bomb factory. Yoshimura became a symbol for many Japanese Americans, who thought she had been damaged by her family’s experience in a WWII incarceration camp .

“Hiroshima never hesitated once,” Endo said.

The band drew many to community events and fundraisers, serving as what the Rev. Ken Fong called “the soundtrack and consciousness” for a burgeoning Asian American movement.

“Those of us who are not white Americans, we are ashamed of ‘our own’ instruments,” Fong said. “But [Dan Kuramoto] says, what we did is we decided to really embrace our own instruments ... and even our own messages, our own narrative, our own stories.”

Hiroshima’s songs can still be heard throughout the community, from a ceremony dedicating a street corner in L.A.’s Sawtelle to Japanese American higher education leader Jack Fujimoto, to “Paper Chase,” a recently released documentary about Japanese American newspapers.

The band has faced some criticism from people in Japan who disapproved of using Japanese instruments outside of traditional music. In a 1998 interview in Japan, June Kuramoto initially cried when asked about the criticism. But after she composed herself, she told the reporter: “I love this instrument. I respect this instrument. I love the culture. ... You can say whatever you want, but this is what I have to do and this is what I love to do, and this is what I need to do.”

Dan Kuramoto recalled a student from Tokyo University approaching the band after a concert and marveling at its use of the koto.

“This Japanese kid ... because they want to be so American or so European, they forget their own culture. So, in a way, we can mirror both ways. ‘Don’t give this up, there’s so much beauty here,’” Kuramoto said. “To the American side, we can say, ‘This is just now another palette, another element to the music and the culture of this country that we add to.’”

As the music industry changes, Kuramoto said, the band is facing an uncertain future. That, along with June wanting a break, led to the hiatus — which he insists is not a final goodbye.

“Hopefully, we will learn some things, and hopefully we will come back and have something to say, both musically and otherwise,” he said. “Hopefully, we can contribute by being also socially active with helping our communities.”

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Jeong Park is a former Asian American communities reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, he was an economic mobility reporter for the Sacramento Bee, covering how California policies affect the lives of workers. He also covered cities and communities for the Orange County Register. Park considers both Seoul, where he was born, and Southern California, where he grew up, as his home. He graduated from UCLA. He welcomes recommendations for good hikes, food and K-Pop songs.

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Hiroshima is an American jazz fusion/smooth jazz band formed in 1974 by Sansei Japanese American Dan Kuramoto (wind instruments and band leader), Peter Hata (guitar), June Kuramoto (koto), Johnny Mori (percussion and taiko), Dave Iwataki (keyboards) and Danny Yamamoto (drums). Named for the Japanese city of Hiroshima, the band is best known for the fusing of Japanese music and other forms of world music into its playing. Its early jazz-pop R&B sound gave the group a huge following among the African American community and they are regarded as musical pioneers among the Asian American and Japanese American community[citation needed]. Hiroshima’s debut album in 1979, the self-titled Hiroshima, contained the single “Roomful of Mirrors,” which caught the ear of the “easy-listening” community. Hiroshima became popular in the New Adult Contemporary community upon the release of its 1985 album Another Place, which spawned the crossover hit “One Wish.” One of the highlights of Hiroshima’s career was serving as the opening act for the Miles Davis 1990 world tour. Since then, despite moving towards new age music, the group continues to gain a wider audience for its music. June Kuramoto is the only founding member who is not American-born. She was born in Saitama Prefecture, a part of the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan and moved to Los Angeles at a young age. The band was featured in a 1976 documentary titled Cruisin’ J-Town, directed by Duane Kubo. The group wrote an original song titled “The Moon is a Window to Heaven” for the 1989 film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. One of their songs from their 1987 album “Go,” “Hawaiian Electric,” was used for a TV ad campaign in Hawaii for The Hawaiian Electric Company, which featured June in the commercial. Hiroshima also composed the theme music for television cooking show Simply Ming hosted by chef Ming Tsai. Hiroshima is still active after 30 years of creating music. Its album, Little Tõkyõ, continues the group’s style of Jazz fused with Asian instruments and synthesizer, which sounds like no one else. In its personal statement the group said, “For us, its always about being different. Its vital to not be the same. We embrace our sound.” Legacy, a celebration of their 30th year in the recording industry. It is the first installment of what is expected to be a series. This initial album in the series is primarily a re-visitation of songs from the band’s first decade. Essentially recorded live at studio Tofuville, it features the six band members along with guest artists. Their latest album is titled Departure. It was initially released on Hiroshima’s Facebook page in December 2011, and is set for an official release in January 2012. from wikipedia

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Hiroshima, a band that helped define Asian American identity, will take a hiatus

Record labels didn't know what to do with Hiroshima.

The band, led by Japanese American Boyle Heights native Dan Kuramoto, defied simple categorization. It featured Japanese instruments like taiko drums and koto yet played jazz and rhythm and blues, laced with pop and funk.

Hiroshima had found its footing in the 1970s at places like the Baby Lion Supper Club at the edge of Koreatown — a major part of the nascent Japanese American dance scene . It also drew enthusiastic cheers from a mostly Black crowd at Howard University.

Larkin Arnold, a Black record executive at Arista Records, took a chance by signing the band to its first recording contract in 1979. That propelled a decades-long run that includes nearly 20 albums and millions of records sold.

As part of its “Domo,” or “Thank You,” tour — a "wind down" or hiatus, but perhaps not a final goodbye — Hiroshima is playing Saturday night at the Aratani Theatre in Little Tokyo. Fans are reflecting on the band's legacy as a pioneer that helped establish what it means to be Asian American and build connections with other people of color.

“How do we amplify the connection of our community?” said Kuramoto, 76, who usually plays saxophone and flute, including the Japanese shakuhachi . “We’re just trying to do that with music.”

When Kuramoto was growing up in Boyle Heights, graduating from Roosevelt High in 1963, the concept of pan-Asian identity did not exist. People thought of themselves as solely Chinese American, Japanese American, Filipino American or Korean American.

By the late 1960s, the movement to create an Asian American identity, on the theory that unity would create more political power, was exploding. Kuramoto became the first chair of Cal State Long Beach's Asian American studies program while still in his early 20s. On the side, he performed music.

At a large Asian American community picnic in Griffith Park in the early 1970s, Kuramoto spotted June Okida playing the koto, a zither-like instrument that typically has 13 strings.

She took a liking to his “crazy art school band," which was playing anything from rock to “experimental, naughty stuff,” Kuramoto said.

Kuramoto quit his job at Cal State Long Beach soon after, and the two, who married and later divorced, became the cornerstones of the band they eventually called Hiroshima — rising "from the ashes" as the Japanese city did after it was hit with a U.S. atomic bomb during World War II.

“There’s got to be some way for us to be visible as who we are,” Kuramoto said. “I wanted to try to reach out and create that voice, that image of who we are.”

At the Baby Lion Supper Club, the band initially attracted a small crowd but developed a loyal following, with hundreds packing the space. They grooved to the music in bell-bottomed trousers, wide-lapeled shirts and platform shoes, said Harry Manaka, author of “Chronicles of a Sansei Rocker” and a former owner of the bar.

“We were looking for our own identity,” Manaka said. "[Hiroshima] caught on with a niche of people that would like to hear their music. It was a different kind of music. It was like a combination of jazz and fusion, and it was a different Asian American sound."

Record labels tried to force Hiroshima into a box. One executive wanted them to wear Asian conical hats. Another wanted them to sound like funk singer Rick James.

But the band members refused to budge. They wanted all their components, from June's koto to Dan's saxophone, to stand out yet be a part of the whole.

“Any Black band can play funk better than us,” Dan Kuramoto told The Times in 1988.

Much of Hiroshima's music was instrumental. But in songs like "Thousand Cranes," about the Japanese tradition of folding paper cranes for a wish to be fulfilled , the lyrics conveyed how the band saw itself.

In "Roomful of Mirrors," the band sang:

In a roomful of mirrors we can pretend who we can be A dancer in a top hat or a captain of the sea We could make funny faces but we're not just what you see There's a lot inside us we hope to grow and be 'Cause I just wanna be, to look and sound like me I just wanna be myself for everyone to see.

That refusal to blend in made Hiroshima appealing to many Asian Americans, especially in an era when activists successfully fought for Asian American studies programs at universities and pushed for reparations for Japanese Americans who were incarcerated by the U.S. government during World War II.

Growing up Japanese American in Monterey Park in the 1970s, Mitchell Maki thought of koto and taiko as ancient instruments played at cultural festivals like Nisei Week.

But “hearing Hiroshima play, that’s where you hear koto in a whole different way,” said Maki, chief executive of the Go for Broke National Education Center.

The band and its music became a source of pride and a reminder of what Asian American music can sound like, Maki said.

“'Cruisin’ J-Town,' when you hear that song, it just evokes the memories and the feelings,” he said.

Hiroshima's distinct sound had crossover appeal, especially with the Black community. Black radio stations were often the only ones playing the band’s music, Kuramoto said.

Maki recalled getting lunch in St. Louis about a year ago with Black clergy and business leaders, who said the members of Hiroshima were among the first Asian American musicians they had ever seen or heard about.

As the band grew in popularity, with hits such as “One Wish” and albums at the top of the Billboard jazz chart, Hiroshima toured the nation while staying close to its roots.

There have been frequent shifts in the band's membership. But Johnny Mori helmed the taiko until the early 2000s, and Dan and June Kuramoto, as well as Danny Yamamoto on drums, taiko and synthesizer, have been a constant for more than 40 years.

Japanese American journalist Ellen Endo recalled Hiroshima performing at a fundraiser for Wendy Yoshimura, a roommate of Patty Hearst and member of the Symbionese Liberation Army who was arrested in the 1970s for allegedly running a bomb factory. Yoshimura became a symbol for many Japanese Americans, who thought she had been damaged by her family's experience in a WWII incarceration camp .

“Hiroshima never hesitated once,” Endo said.

The band drew many to community events and fundraisers, serving as what the Rev. Ken Fong called “the soundtrack and consciousness” for a burgeoning Asian American movement.

"Those of us who are not white Americans, we are ashamed of 'our own' instruments," Fong said. "But [Dan Kuramoto] says, what we did is we decided to really embrace our own instruments ... and even our own messages, our own narrative, our own stories."

Hiroshima's songs can still be heard throughout the community, from a ceremony dedicating a street corner in L.A.'s Sawtelle to Japanese American higher education leader Jack Fujimoto, to “Paper Chase,” a recently released documentary about Japanese American newspapers.

The band has faced some criticism from people in Japan who disapproved of using Japanese instruments outside of traditional music. In a 1998 interview in Japan, June Kuramoto initially cried when asked about the criticism. But after she composed herself, she told the reporter: "I love this instrument. I respect this instrument. I love the culture. ... You can say whatever you want, but this is what I have to do and this is what I love to do, and this is what I need to do."

Dan Kuramoto recalled a student from Tokyo University approaching the band after a concert and marveling at its use of the koto.

“This Japanese kid ... because they want to be so American or so European, they forget their own culture. So, in a way, we can mirror both ways. 'Don’t give this up, there’s so much beauty here,'” Kuramoto said. “To the American side, we can say, 'This is just now another palette, another element to the music and the culture of this country that we add to.'"

As the music industry changes, Kuramoto said, the band is facing an uncertain future. That, along with June wanting a break, led to the hiatus — which he insists is not a final goodbye.

“Hopefully, we will learn some things, and hopefully we will come back and have something to say, both musically and otherwise,” he said. “Hopefully, we can contribute by being also socially active with helping our communities.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .

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Legendary jazz band Hiroshima brings the ‘domo’ tour to Charlotte

This will be Hiroshima’s final traditional concert tour, so it is appropriately entitled “domo” which is “thank you” in Japanese.

Legendary jazz band Hiroshima brings the ‘domo’ tour to Charlotte This will be Hiroshima’s final traditional concert tour, so it is appropriately entitled “domo” which is “thank you” in Japanese.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QC Life) - Legendary jazz ensemble Hiroshima is bringing the “domo’ tour to Charlotte on Friday, Feb. 25 for two shows at the newly-renovated Stage Door Theater .

You won’t want to miss out on this night of smooth jazz and a final opportunity to experience Hiroshima live in concert.

Stage Door Theater tickets available at Carolinatix.org or the box office.

Hiroshima is embarking on its 40th Anniversary Tour armed with renewed vision and their first new music CD in 8 years, the “2020″ Project.

Hiroshima is a Grammy-nominated smooth jazz group based in California. The group was formed in 1974 by Dan Kuramoto and June Kuramoto.

The double Grammy-nominated ensemble features June Kuramoto on koto (”The world’s greatest koto player” - Stanley Clarke), leader/producer Dan Kuramoto on winds/shakuhachi, Hawaiian Kimo Cornwell (Al Jarreau/Maze/Kalapana) keyboards, Dean Cortez (Boz Skaggs/Caldera/Willie Bobo) bass, and drummer Land Richards (Hubert Laws/Gladys Knight/ Earth Wind and Fire/Stevie Wonder/Sonny Stitt).

One of the most unique and engaging American bands, Hiroshima brings its one-of-a-kind mix of Jazz, R&B, Salsa and Eastern sounds, with a diverse program of songs from its over 20 CDs, including global hits like “One Wish” and “Thousand Cranes,” with new and inspired music from the “2020″ Project.

Both early release singles charted solidly in the top 20 of Billboard Jazz Charts with “GrooveLatino” residing in the #2 spot for over six weeks.

The group’s newest single “Watercolors” is currently in radio rotation on Sirius XM and charted on Billboard’s Smooth Jazz chart.

Copyright 2022 WBTV. All rights reserved.

Andrew Barnett

Andrew Barnett is a young writer from Alabama. A lifetime music lover and enthusiast. He has been writing for years and has published several places ranging from AllHipHop.com to Raycom Media’s Digital Hub before joining WBTV. He writes about any and everything, from news and politics to music and sports, and is a lover of research and learning.

Grammy-Nominated Band Hiroshima Highlights Ancient Culture with Contemporary Music

When Asian-American band Hiroshima set out to release its first album with Arista Records in 1979, members of the music industry voiced serious doubts.

“I saw memos that people were betting we wouldn’t sell any albums,” says band cofounder Dan Kuramoto. “There was a prevailing (stereotype) that Asians can’t dance or sing.”

Now that the band boasts two Gold albums and two Grammy nominations – with its members in high demand for blockbuster film soundtracks – Dan holds no grudge.

The prejudices they encountered only shows the importance of the band’s existence.

“All we’re saying with the band is that all of our cultures have such a wealth, and in our case, thousands of years of history, and why not make that part of the American musical and cultural landscape?” Dan says.

And Hiroshima — performing July 23, 2023 at The Smith Center — raises awareness of Asian heritage in a way no other band does.

The group performs with Western instruments alongside ancient Japanese instruments like the koto (a Japanese harp), the shakuhachi (a bamboo flute) and taiko drums.

Don’t expect classical Japanese tunes, however. Drawing from the band’s diverse histories across Japan and America, the group delivers groundbreaking songs spanning R&B, rock, jazz and more.

“It’s like in America, if you got up and ate huevos rancheros for breakfast, and for lunch you went with a friend and had sushi, and for dinner had pesto pasta,” Dan says. “That wouldn’t be weird at all. That would be a good day of eating. We thought, ‘there’s got to be a way to do that musically.’”

Juggling Cultures with Complex Instruments

Hiroshima’s members have long faced both a conflict and overlap of Asian and Western cultures.

This includes band cofounder June Kuramoto, also Dan’s ex-wife and best friend.

June and her family were in a Japanese internment camp when they received word that her uncle’s bravery in World War II had earned him a posthumous bronze star.

“Over 120,00 Japanese-Americans were imprisoned during World War II,” Dan notes. “June’s uncle volunteered to serve in the all-Japanese-and-Hawaiian American 442nd regimental combat team — the most decorated unit in American warfare — and gave his life helping save the lost Texas Battalion in France. His family received the posthumous bronze star while imprisoned.”

Now through music, the Hiroshima band members honor their heritage in an uplifting way.

“We wanted to represent our community with a multicultural voice that would bring people together,” Dan says.

Few could do so better than June, who some artists hail as the greatest koto player in the world. After studying it her entire life, she still feels she has much to learn with the 13-stringed instrument’s daunting challenges.

“June’s koto teacher once told me it takes 10 years to play poorly,” Dan says. “If you consider that it’s a pentatonic instrument which June is playing in diatonic music, an instrument that she must constantly re-tune as she is playing — well, it’s a very complicated matter.”

For himself, learning to play shakuhachi at a Los Angeles Buddhist temple proved a painstaking effort, but worthwhile to show what Asian culture has to offer with June.

“June has such an extraordinary musical commitment and emotion that transcends the fact that she’s a great player,” he says. “It’s hard not to be moved when you hear her play.”

Attention from Hollywood

Anyone who has seen hit films scored by leading composer Hans Zimmer has likely heard June and Dan playing on the soundtrack.

Their rare skill on Japanese instruments attracted attention from Hollywood, with invitations to help score and record music for numerous films.

They performed on the movie score for the hit “Black Rain” starring Michael Douglas, and viewers can hear June’s koto playing prominently featured in “The Last Samurai” starring Tom Cruise.

A Domo Tour

Hiroshima’s upcoming concert at The Smith Center will launch the band’s Domo Tour – meaning that the group may never return to Las Vegas to perform again.

“It’s time to start winding down, and we likely will suspend regular touring after 2022,” Dan says.

The group deemed it highly important to conduct this tour in order to thank fans nationwide, he says, adding that Hiroshima has played in Las Vegas almost every year for 30 years.

The group will play several new tunes from its new album “2020,” as well as many beloved songs from its over 20 albums.

“We would’ve had zero career if not for those people who supported us,” Dan says. “To not say deeply from the soul, ‘thank you,’ would miss the point of how we did this in the first place.”

See The Show

Hiroshima plays July 23, 2022 at The Smith Center – click here for tickets.

Dan Kuramoto encourages people to reach out to the band and learn more about its music at Hiroshimamusic on Facebook and www.hiroshimamusic.com.

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August 12, 2022

Doors: 7:30 PM / Show: 8:00 PM

Doors: 9:45 PM / Show: 10:00 PM

August 13, 2022

Doors: 7:00 PM / Show: 7:30 PM

Doors: 9:15 PM / Show: 9:30 PM

Hiroshima is in the midst of the "Domo Tour".  "Domo" is Japanese for "thanks".......thanks for the years of support.  After 42 years of recording and touring, the band has decided to "wind down".  Not stopping 100%, but live dates will be curtailed significantly.    The band's current CD is entitled "2020", with three songs which charted on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz charts  ("Groove Latino", "Someday Soon", and "Sidestreet")

One of the most unique and engaging American bands, Hiroshima brings its one-of-a-kind mix of Jazz, R&B, Salsa and Eastern sounds, with a diverse program of songs from its over 20 CD’s, including global hits like “One Wish” and “ Thousand Cranes,” with new and inspired music from the “2020” Project.  Both early release singles charted solidly in the top 20 of Billboard Jazz Charts with “GrooveLatino” residing in the #2 spot for over 6 weeks.

The double Grammy nominated ensemble features the extraordinary June Kuramoto on  koto (“ The world’s greatest  koto  player” - Stanley Clarke), leader/producer Dan Kuramoto on winds/ shakuhachi , Hawaiian Kimo Cornwell (Al Jarreau/Maze/Kalapana) keyboards, Dean Cortez (Boz Skaggs/Caldera/Willie Bobo) bass, and super drummer Land Richards (Hubert Laws/Gladys Knight/ Earth Wind and Fire/Stevie Wonder/Sonny Stitt).

Hiroshima is about diversity.  It’s an exploration and celebration of cultures, music, art and the heart.  “America’s greatest asset is our multiplicity—our cultural richness,” says Dan Kuramoto.  “We try and embrace it, and the joy in our differences.”  When Hiroshima toured with Miles Davis in 1990 Miles impressed them with the notion that music is a path that is ever changing.  

Hiroshima's "Domo Tour" stop at Yoshi's will be a celebration of new music, Hiroshima "classics", and a celebration of over 4 decades of sharing the magic. 

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Rafu Shimpo

Hiroshima Kicks Off Its 40th Anniversary Tour

By DAN KURAMOTO

After the surreal events of the last year and a half, we are attempting to begin our 40th Anniversary Tour. We all got off to a pretty rough start.

We realize that though most of us have received the vaccine, there are concerns — we exercise precautions as well — so with a bit of trepidation we invite you to join us at Yoshi’s Friday and Saturday, Aug. 20 and 21.

Our plan is to debut our new CD, “2020,” which is our first new music project since 2013. We’ll have the CD (which we think is pretty different), some new songs, and an evening we can all enjoy. BUT, we invite you to do what you feel. Again, we’ll be looking to have a cautious but emerging re-connection. Seems like it’s time.

Having said that, we’d just like to acknowledge the incredible support we’ve received for 40+ years from you all and wish you health, joy and a sustainable planet.

Four shows only: Aug. 20 at 8 and 10 p.m.; Aug. 21 at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Best ticket availability for the late show.

Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland, CA 94607. Phone: (510) 238-9200

Tickets: https://yoshis.com/events/sold-out/hiroshima-2/detail

Info: https://yoshis.com/events/default/calendar

For tour and CD information: www.hiroshimamusic.com

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